First Solo Adventures – Episode 74 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

Hands up if you love solo travel? Not everybody does, though I firmly believe that everybody should try it at least once, just to see if it truly suits them or not. There are pros and cons which we’ve talked about in previous episodes (like the one on solo travel tips) but there are, of course, pros and cons of all kinds of travels, and it’s worth experiencing a solo trip sometimes. You might become a seasoned solo traveller! In this episode I chat with a bunch of very well-travelled people who tell the stories of their first solo trips and what they learnt from them (spoiler: they learnt a lot!).

Show notes: Episode 74 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast

First Solo Adventures

Travelling for the first time is something you always remember. And travelling on your own for the first time is possibly even more memorable. In Episode 74 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, I talk with four very experienced travellers who all have very clear memories of their first solo adventure and love talking about it. The common theme is that all of them have gone on to travel a whole heap more, both on their own and with others, and their first solo trips had a big impact on their future travels.

First up, Jo Castro tells me a funny story about her first trip abroad when she went to be a horse groomer in Belgium – and it wasn’t quite as wonderful as she’d expected!

I then chat with Jo and Jeremy Duggan who both had the experience of taking a huge trip as their first time travelling solo abroad – and fortunately, both really enjoyed it and got a lot out of it. Finally, Ian of the Barefoot Backpacker explains about his rediscovery of travel with his first proper solo trip to South East Asia.

Hi! I’ve been listening to the podcasts since August, and I specially like the ones you focus on solo travelling.. so I loved this one.

I am Spanish, in my thirties, and five years ago I started travelling on my own, for short periods of time (not longer than a week, due to my job). I like travelling in general, I travel whenever I have free time, with my friends, my family.. but I enjoy solo travelling in a very special way. I’ve never gone out of Europe alone.. so far my solo trips have been always to European cities, maybe because I still don’t dare going too far from home without company… but it’s a matter of time 😉

I’ve visited Rome, Florence, Milan, Brussels, Vienna, several cities in Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia.. on my own. And on December I’m planning my next solo trip to Stockholm. If I wonder myself why I do this, maybe it is because I like the feeling of ‘proving’ myself, so to say. It’s also because of the exciting feeling of freedom.. you can decide what to do, where to go, which train to catch and how much time you want to spend at that museum, without giving explanations.. and that’s simply great. In my case, another reason is the opportunity to practise English.. when I go with friends, I am usually very shy and let them speak.. if I am alone I have no choice 🙂

In summary, I am a big solo travelling fan, and I think it’s an experience everyone should try at least once. I have a pending subject: having more interaction with locals.. that’s something I’m improving little by little, and I’ve recently discovered a way of starting to do this if you are not very extrovert: participating in organized tours where you can connect with other people. It’s a little step… 🙂
A big hug from Spain, and congrats for you podcast, Amanda, I’ve listened to all the episodes and I always enjoy them very much!

Thanks so much Nerea – I’m very glad to hear you enjoy the podcast and I’m even little envious of your short solo adventures – they sound perfect, I’d love to travel that way too. Never long enough to feel lonely and in such a great range of destinations – I love Europe for that, so much variety in a relatively small area. I hope you continue these trips for many years to come!